Shiloh Israel Children’s Fund

On a tragic night several years ago, a young married woman named Rachel, an immigrant from the former Soviet Union, and the mother of a little girl, lost her husband in a horrible crash on the roads near Shiloh. For a couple of years, it seemed as if she was in a state of emotional collapse. She couldn’t handle both her own pain and that of her daughter. I remember meeting her one day in Jerusalem and listening to her trembling voice describing her efforts to find a good psychotherapy program for her young child. I told her about the subsidies that Shiloh Israel Children’s Fund was offering for our various play therapy programs in Shiloh and I am convinced that that very moment was the beginning of their recovery from trauma. I am happy to report, and Rachel has said it herself many times, that our therapy programs were a life-saver for Rachel’s daughter.

Tonight was Rachel’s wedding at Tel Shiloh, the site of Ancient Shiloh, the place where the Tabernacle stood for 369 years in Biblical times. It is also Shiloh to where the men of the tribe of Benjamin came in the summer to find wives from the young maidens of Shiloh who were dancing in the vineyards in their white dresses (Book of Judges 21:19-22).  So too in our times, Rachel’s young groom found his wife in Shiloh and there was singing and dancing in the vineyards once again.

Congratulations to Rachel, to her daughter, and of course, to Rachel’s new husband. Mazal Tov to them and to all those who have the privilege of turning trauma into miracles in our times!

David Rubin

Shiloh, Israel

The purpose of SICF has always been to heal the children, to restore some of the lost innocence to their lives and to rebuild for the Biblical heartland of Israel. But how does one accomplish that? As a fervent Zionist, I believe in doing, as opposed to just talking. As our new website clearly shows, we are  mainly focused on supporting our central programs ——the therapy programs, educational projects, youth programs, and camps.

We feel blessed to have the support of friends of Israel from around the world. Our accomplishments are because of you who partner with us. But there is an accomplishment that I don’t often speak about — being a catalyst. Because we are supporting winning  programs for children in need, other organizations, both governmental and non-governmental, are gradually wanting to join in. Because we are succeeding in our educational and therapeutic projects, meeting the needs of a multi-ethnic/socioeconomic population and working in schools that do not turn any students away, many parents whose children live well outside the zoned area of Gush Shiloh (the Shiloh bloc of communities) want to send their children to learn here, despite the fact that there are private, more homogenuous schools in their own areas. Furthermore, those who live here are becoming more and more optimistic for the future, despite the effects of war and terrorism that confront us daily. As a result of all this, the Therapy Center has been expanded and the local schools are bursting at the seams, which has spurred on the Education Ministry to approve the upcoming construction in Shiloh of a new, additional school building to meet the growing need. There are also new housing projects getting underway (after many years of stagnation), to meet the local demands of young families for housing. 

In short, we are looking forward to the future— creating momentum and encouraging momentum!

David Rubin

Shiloh, Israel